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SR 173

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROGRAMS AND OTHER INNOVATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS THAT DIRECTLY ALIGN WITH JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND INDUSTRY NEEDS WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE REGION OF SERVICE.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Donovan Dela Cruz

Hawaii Senate adopted a resolution requiring community colleges to design bachelor's programs matching regional job markets and industry needs.

Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD1).
#universityofhawaiicommunitycolleges #workforcedevelopment
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Bill Summary · SR 173

Legislative bill overview

SR 173 is a resolution requesting that the University of Hawaii Community Colleges develop a comprehensive list of bachelor's degree programs and workforce development pathways that align with regional job opportunities and industry needs. The measure has already been adopted by the Senate as of April 1, 2025, with amendments.

Why is this important

Community colleges serve as critical workforce pipelines, and aligning educational offerings with actual labor market demands can reduce graduate underemployment and address skills gaps in Hawaii's economy. This resolution addresses a practical challenge: ensuring that educational investments produce graduates with marketable skills in their regions rather than degrees mismatched to available jobs.

Potential points of contention

  • Implementation costs and timeline: The resolution requests comprehensive program development work but provides no specified funding, timeline, or resources to support this effort
  • Regional variation complexities: Hawaii's community colleges serve diverse geographic areas with different economic bases (tourism, agriculture, healthcare, tech), making a unified approach potentially problematic
  • Degree proliferation vs. sustainability: Creating numerous new bachelor's programs could strain institutional resources, faculty capacity, and accreditation requirements without clear enrollment projections or financial sustainability planning

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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